VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) — With summer drawing to an end, local libraries are wrapping up their summer programs and preparing for the back-to-school season.

(Pictured: Children enjoying an activity at the Oil City Library)

The Franklin Public Library and the Oil City Library are both wrapping up their summer programs and getting ready for the approach of fall.

According to Franklin Public Library Branch Manager Zoe Oakes, their Summer Reading Program, which has expanded to include far more than just reading books, wrapped up during the first week of August.

Oakes noted that the children’s program, for ages one to 13, included encouraging children to not only read but to participate in everything from visiting area parks and exploring their neighborhood to doing good deeds for others. It also incorporated a number of STEM activities from learning about rockets to making space-food.

“Everyone’s favorite was the slime lab,” Oakes noted.

The teen summer program, which had a point-based system, even offered teens the possibility of winning a new iPad.

According to Oakes, the teens have also been busy helping to make a new teen area in the library.

“We did a lot of planning and moving, and they are in the final stages of finishing the teen-oriented room,” Oakes said. “There has been a big push to give local teens a safe, free space to hang out since, unfortunately, we don’t have many of those.”

Oakes said the library received a grant from Keystone Smiles that helped with the project, which was led by the teens themselves.

“They’ve done really well,” Oakes said. “They had to work on everything from budgeting to teamwork to planning times they could meet and work together. It’s given them a lot of skills to help see them through high school.”

The Oil City Library also recently wrapped up their summer programs on Friday with a carnival wrap-up party.

Looking forward, Natalie Cubbon, the Teen Services Coordinator at Oil City, said starting sometime in September, the library will be offering a Full STEAM Ahead program with special STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities, with dates and times to be announced.

The LOFT program for teens ages 12 to 19 will also continue to be available from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every other Thursday with a variety of games, crafts, and science experiments.

Cubbon also noted the Oil City Library has been continuing to progress in their renovations, with lots of new furniture in the children’s and teen’s areas.

“We’ve really changed a lot in the interior,” Cubbon said. “Anyone who hasn’t seen it yet should really stop in. It looks like a way different place.”

Franklin Public Library is gearing up for the fall, as well, with a new teen STEM Club and a new children’s program for wood crafts called “Nailed It” starting up soon.

“We’re trying to expand and get some old skills out to kids,” Oakes said.

A new Sensory Storytime for children four and up on the Autism spectrum or who have sensory issues or developmental disorders will also be starting up this fall.

Franklin Public Library will also be undergoing some renovations, as well, with a project to replace the main roof on the original building set to start within the next month.

Many of the specific dates and times for fall clubs and activities have yet to be determined, but the Franklin Public Library Facebook page, and the Oil City Library Facebook page, are both updated regularly.